The Sisterhood of the Traveling Hammers
the secret to succeeding in any venture is the desire to do it, and the gumption to go for it
“Aren’t you too old for that?- the response my 62-year-old sister got when she told her friend, Janice, she was traveling to Zambia, Africa this summer with her two sisters, as part of a Habitat for Humanity team to build houses.
The three of us, ages 62, 60 and 52 years were born and raised in Zambia and came to Canada in the mid-sixties. After 46 years we are returning “homeâ€, to take part in this exciting adventure.
It boggles the mind that some people would consider age to be a reason to avoid anything-wasn’t the last sports car race actor Paul Newman was in, he won, and he was 82 years old!
Rather than think we should be held back because of age, we’re filled with anticipation at what lies ahead on this trip, as we work alongside villagers to build decent basic housing in Africa.
This is not to say that there are no challenges ahead of us as we prepare for our journey. but there are solutions to be found if you just keep looking. One sister with a thing about spiders has scoped out sleeping arrangements, and found a self-contained mosquito/spider/snake/creepy crawly/proof sleeping bag- we’ll all be buying one! And then there are the “pit latrines†– we’ve decided it’s best not to even consider that one till we have to, nor the lack of electricity and running water.
Another challenge we face is raising money for the trip, but we’ve decided if you want something bad enough, you find a way. Finding a way we are here are some of the things that we’re doing to raise the Habitat portion of the trip,($1,750 US.) as well as cover some of our own expenses, like airfare:
- Collecting bottles (amazing how many generous pub/restaurants there are- we made out like bandits after the Gold Olympic Hockey game)
- Sewing projects
- Raffling off oil paintings (Peggy paints)
- Gift Basket raffles
- Cleaning houses
- Making wine ( and selling it, but we think that’s illegal, so we’re keeping it quiet)
- Yoga lessons-(Katie teaches yoga)
- Building our own website
- Building a Facebook Page for “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Hammersâ€
We are all blessed with good health. Only one sister has had previous construction experience (she is a long-time Habitat volunteer), but the secret to succeeding in any venture, is the desire to do it, and the gumption to go for it.
So.. in answer to your question Janice, No, we’re not too old for that.
Website links:
https://www.habitat.org/
https://www.facebook.com/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingHammers/
http://yogaliving.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/warbel93
https://www.facebook.com/louisa.comber
For more information on the “Traveling Sisters” check out our bio pages: